Real Madrid transfer target set to cost a fortune, says agent: ‘I will do everything I can...’

Real Madrid’s pursuit of 17-year-old Mexican prodigy Gilberto Mora is shaping up to become one of next summer’s most expensive gambles on a teenager, after the player’s representative, Rafaela Pimienta, warned that any deal will command elite-level money.

Mora, an attacking midfielder currently on the books of Club Tijuana, has vaulted to the top of the Spanish giants’ international scouting dossier thanks to a string of eye-catching performances in Liga MX. Head scout Juni Calafat has tracked the youngster for months, viewing him as the latest high-upside project in the club’s long-term strategy of mining the Americas for generational talent.

Yet the price of admission into that pipeline has soared overnight. Speaking to The Touchline (h/t Defensa Central), Pimienta issued a blunt message to suitors across Europe: “I will do everything I can to sell Gilberto Mora for a very high price. It really bothers me that a Brazilian player costs €80 million while a Mexican player only costs €8 million!”

Her declaration effectively slaps an €80 million valuation on the teenager, a figure that would shatter previous spending benchmarks for North American exports and force Madrid president Florentino Pérez to decide whether the club’s famed “sign-them-before-they-explode” philosophy is worth such a steep outlay.

Versatility adds to the allure. Although Mora’s natural domain is the advanced midfield role, sources close to the player highlight his comfort dropping deeper, a tactical flexibility that dovetails with Madrid’s evolving midfield needs.

Still, Mora is not the only name on Pérez’s shortlist. AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit remains the club’s primary midfield target for the upcoming window, meaning the Mexican phenomenon could find himself in a high-stakes bidding war if Los Blancos decide to press ahead on two fronts.

For now, the ball sits firmly in Madrid’s court: break the bank for a raw but scintillating talent, or risk watching another gem slip through their fingers.